Corporate Peer Challenge 2017

Background

Corporate Peer Challenge 2017: Feedback report

In September 2017, we invited an external team from other local councils to Watford to investigate, explore and analyse the way we operate. The team have now produced a report, where you can view their findings. Their external assessment - known as a Corporate Peer Challenge - provides a critical friend challenge to the council, looking at what we do well, what we have achieved and where we could be doing things differently to improve outcomes for local people.

This review was headed by the Local Government Association as part of their sector-led improvement programme and is something that all councils aim to participate in every four to five years.

As part of the assessment, we were asked to submit a Position Statement to set the scene about the council and the town. This assessment needed to reflect what we have done well, how effectively we understand our future challenges and opportunities and to be open about where we need to do even better. The Position Statement was supported by a range of documentation and information to demonstrate what the council has achieved.

Then, as part of the process, more than 90 people were spoken to from both within the council and from our external partners and stakeholders. This was to ensure they could get a comprehensive overview of how the council operates, how we do business, our performance and, ultimately, our readiness for the future and challenges ahead.